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AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE OLD RUGGED CROSS BY MIABO ENYADIKE

When I do illustrations or sketches, they are always for art purposes either for a painting,design or a pitch. However these two illustrations I did on the cross strangely, where neither and completely unrelated to any art I had done before or even after, and they did not have any particular artistic purpose except a personal need to hold unto, when all hope was gone.

Our Lord's dominion over the storm and seaThey also serve, as total gratitude to God for all His mercies and Grace to me and my family.These illustrations of the crucifix were what I needed to behold, literally when my husbandwas diagnosed with Acute Renal Failure(aka Kidney Failure!) in 2009.

I felt it was one of those malaria attacks, it didn't matter he was here anyway, he'll be okay.When I walked into the sitting room and found my husband, curled into a ball and sleeping when Liverpool football club, a club husband has supported for 30 something odd years was playing Manchester united and their he was sleeping!. I was taken aback, what quickly came to my mind, was the Rapture had happened and we had been left behind!.

Last supper after the exit of Judas.I watched my husband deteriorate before my eyes,he had lost the use of his legs,he stopped talking, and had turned ash colour. By the time the test results where out, his kidneys where total gone -1400 to be exact.

OLD RUGGED CROSS

I listened to the doctor as she reeled out all the issues, his blood is contaminated, kidney and liver not functioning,severe dehydration and high cholesterol,very high blood pressure. Then the most "dreaded" cerebral malaria, which had attacked his nerves and he was now in a wheelchair.She didn't know how long it would take for him to get better, if he survived it. She couldn't help herself she had to tell the truth, " your husband is a very very sick man".

As they wheeled my husband to the ICU unit, I knew this wasnot the time to have a pity party, it was time to look to the Cross big time.A time to reject any negative report, a time to take ownership of who we are in Christ Jesus and school myself on why he died on the Cross.I came to a selfish conclusion, that it had to be, that he died for me and my husband,to enable us get through such a horrible situation, in a time like this.

OLD RUGGED CROSS

As an artist I had to be visual with this picture of the Cross in my mind, playing His suffering over and over again in my mind. My precious Lord and saviour been beaten,spat at and nailed to this old rugged Cross, for my husband to be healed.I refused to see a picture of widowhood,fatherless children or a paralysed husband these where not options.

I literally had to paint this illustration of the Cross, both on paper and in my mind. I needed to see in my mind my Jesus,High priest standing before God holding life and death in his hands,we had to chose life!

In my mind, I chose the moments of our lords suffering, by "His stripes we are healed" and "the battle is the Lord's".I seized those words and picture, of our Lords suffering and put it in a mind capsule of faith.And staunch believe, that my husband is healed regardless of how it looked.This was a Jesus capsule I had to take every morning and night he was hospitalised,I needed an over dose and indeed God showed up.

To cut a long story short, my husband walked out of the hospital only after a month, with his kidneys fully functional and intact. Totally free of dialysis and cerebral malaria.He took a year off, to fully recover it was a miracle one that his doctors can not get over.

I also want to take this opportunity to say thankyou to his medical team here in Johannesburg, Special thanks to Pastor Idah Peterside and his wife Emy, the late coach Shaibu Amodu and all members of our families, everyone who called in and sent us financial help and prayers.We are indeed forever in your debt, because you answered when Our lord asked you too. You all rock! I give God all the glory...Enjoy.

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Miabo Enyadike, is an International Fine Artist and Interior Decorator whose work is primarily centered on Humanity, Nature and Lifestyle. Her work lays emphasis on color and abstract expressions. It is interpreted, in her own subjective visual impression, leaving no boundaries, except an idea of the subject matter. http://www.saatchiart.com/artmiabo